Like a lot of Puerto Ricans living on the mainland U.S., Gabriela Durán felt helpless as she watched Hurricane Maria ravage her homeland last week. So she and hundreds of others living in Los Angeles started coordinating with local Puerto Ricans through social media and in 24 hours had raised $10,000 for food, water, hygiene products, and survival gear.
Durán then put the package on a JetBlue flight to San Juan addressed to a local volunteer group that planned to drive the goods to Loiza, a poor community one hour outside of San Juan. But the driver who was sent to the airport to get the supplies was turned away after waiting there for several hours.
It’s unclear what exactly happened to the goods Durán sent, but for the past seven days Puerto Rican government officials have been manually inspecting incoming shipments for any taxes owed, local officials told El Nuevo D#a and El Vocero. “These people must know there are people dying, and you’re checking for a sales tax? Really?” said Xiomara Caro, Organizing Director for the Center for Popular Democracy, the group that was supposed to receive the shipment.
Relief supplies sent by charity groups are tax-free, but merchandise sent by individuals or for sale are subject to tax. If taxes aren’t paid, the shipments are held — indefinitely.
